Let's Celebrate Death

So I was thinking about how a majority of the world is celebrating the death of Osama Bin Laden. Case in point: the endless congratulatory messages from world leaders from all over the world, and the scords of people who formed celebratory mobs outside the White House, shouting pro-American slogans after the “extermination” announcement was made. It makes me think about our species, how we live by hypocritical, double-standards and how we've become insensitive, unhumane animals in an era which supposedly promotes peace, diversity, acceptance and prosperity. I don't see any of it- anywhere. All I see and hear about are deaths, bombing, terrorism, poverty and wars over land and natural resources. What have we become and what has made us this way? Why are we becoming so immune to the injury, pain, distress and death of human life? I don't want to sound like I'm in favour of OLB's life-mission, but I don't think that the solution (for both parties, America and Al-Qaeda in this case) is resorting to killing people. Everyone has a family- a mother, a sister, a father, a brother, best friends, uncle, aunts- that is left behind to suffer and mourn the loss of someone who meant the world to them. The 3,000+ Americans who were killed in the 9/11 attack are no different from the 19,629 civilians killed in Afghanistan since the war there commenced (My aim is not to highlight the disparity in the statistics between the two countries).


I'd like to quote some of the reactions to OLB's death:

“USA! USA! USA! USA! Bin Laden’s been killed! Just texted every number in my contacts!,” - Random Tweet

“Justice has been done,” - Barack Obama

“We finally got him, justice has been done.” - Senator John McCain

“We welcome the death of one of the world’s most dangerous men and highly appreciate the United States’ help in crushing this global enemy,” - Chairul Akbar, secretary general of the anti—terrorism agency in Indonesia

Osama Bin Laden was no angel- I don't advocate his mission or anything that involves killing people (innocent or “evil”). I can't imagine what distress, trauma and pain those 3000+ victims of 9/11 had to go through before they died; not to mention the people who bore witness to the entire ordeal that morning, and the suffering of the families of the people who were less fortunate had to undergo. It's not easy. As humans we're programmed to be emotional, sensitive and weak. So, whether it's an afghani woman who lost her husband in a drone attack, or an elderly man whose US Armed Forces soldier son died in Iraq by a stray roadside bomb, the feelings of losing a person you love remain constant the world over.


So, how can we sit here and rejoice at the death of ANYONE? It doesn't matter whether or not he/she deserves it- who are you to judge? Who are you the end the life of another person? Revenge is not the answer; it only breeds further contempt and violence. It's like a viscious cycle that is never-ending.


Do I want to be a part of a world that believes that the road to peace lies in the murder of members of the human race?


Food for thought.